Something Scarcely Begun
by Casa Circe
Summary: Marianne questioned herself, that she could feel so moved by the death of someone she barely knew, someone whom she had only begun to get to know in the light of one strange night.


_**Something Scarcely Begun**_

Disclaimer: I do not own "Strange Magic" but it owns me.

NOTE: _My first fic for this fandom! I loved the movie so much and I've been itching to write something for it for a while now._

 _While I was pretty sure Bog was going to survive the collapse of his castle, I still wanted to see Marianne grieve a bit longer for him (because I'm a sucker for angst) and in so doing realize her feelings._

 _So this is my take on what might have been going through her mind in those moments before Bog rises out of the rubble._

 _Enjoy!_

 _0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_

Marianne gazed forlornly at the wreckage.

All that was left of the Bog King's palace was rubble. And as the dust settled, there was no sign of him. It looked very unlikely that he had survived such a catastrophe.

Dawn was weeping loudly by her side but Marianne remained silent and still, trying to take in all that had just happened.

"My son," she heard Griselda whisper sadly and for a moment, she tried to imagine the pain the goblin queen must be feeling after watching her child descend into the abyss, never to return. For a moment, Marianne's heart broke for Griselda.

But then, her heart was already broken for herself and she was only beginning to understand why.

How could she have allowed this to happen? After putting up all those walls and swearing that she would never let anyone hurt her again, here she was again, suffering a pain more profound than any sting she had felt after Roland's betrayal. No, this could not even compare.

This was a new kind of heartbreak, one that had crept in unexpectedly and one that she could never have been prepared for. It seemed she was destined to suffer from a broken heart for all her days, such was the cruel and unjust world she lived in. And rage as she might, she could never find anyone to blame for this new wound.

The brave princess questioned herself, that she could feel so moved by the death of someone she barely knew, someone whom she had only begun to get to know in the light of one strange night.

But she was beginning to understand that the length of one's acquaintance with someone didn't necessarily lead to a better knowledge of them. After all, she had known Roland for so long but had been blind to his baser qualities until fairly recently.

And then, she had spent the first half of her acquaintance with Bog in conflict with him. How could she have predicted that they would share so much in common? For all her precautions, she could never have foreseen any of this happening.

But it did happen. And then, it was over as suddenly as it started. Clearly, they were cursed with terrible timing.

 _When I said you should rethink this entrance, this isn't exactly what I had in mind,_ Marianne addressed Bog in her mind, a sad smile tugging at the grieving princess' lips in spite of everything.

But he wasn't around to hear her little joke and she knew by now that he was one of the only people in the world who could truly understand and appreciate her for who she was. But he would never be around to hear all she wanted to say to him.

Marianne sighed. She had truly hoped to clear up the misunderstanding about Roland and the army appearing in the Dark Forest. If Bog had not jumped to conclusions, she could have explained everything. And yet she couldn't blame him for thinking what he did after the track record of fairy-goblin interaction. Perhaps their connection had caught him by surprise as well and he was not sure what to make of it.

And in the end, as the palace fell apart and as he handed Dawn over to her, she had seen in his eyes that all was forgiven, that he bore her no ill will for what had happened, that he knew that she had no part in it. She had been so relieved and grateful for a brief moment but as she took her sister from him, she knew that it was too late for anything else.

Remembering her sister, Marianne listened as Dawn sobbed loudly over the death of her "beloved." It pained Marianne to hear her dear sister in such distress but part of her also somehow resented her for it.

"The pain you feel now isn't real," she longed to say but she would never be so cruel to her gentle sister. After all, it wasn't Dawn's fault that she had been the victim of that potion.

"The love you felt for him wasn't real," Marianne still wanted to say.

 _But mine is._ The truth hit Marianne so forcefully that she could not deny it, not to herself, not to anyone. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

Marianne began to weep, in spite of herself. After trying so long not to show any sign of weakness in front of others, she allowed herself to grieve. The pain was too great to contain.

She recalled that magical night flight through the forest, as the king showed her the wonders of his realm and opened her eyes to beauty in the most unlikely places. He had made the place that she had always feared into a world of unexpected marvels. She realized that there was beauty all around her, not least in the eyes of the Bog King himself.

What they had was special, of that she was absolutely certain. And at the end of their flight, when he had tenderly placed a blue flower on her ear, she had opened her heart once more and she had looked forward to what was coming next. For the first time in the long time, she was excited about the future.

Only to have everything destroyed in the blink of an eye. An abrupt end to something scarcely begun.

Now, all she would have left are the memories of that much too brief time together and endless speculations on what might have been. And these would never be enough.

And somehow she was convinced that there would never be another person out there like Bog. She knew that this had been her chance (and perhaps his as well) for some happiness. And it had been cruelly snatched away from them.

"I never thought I'd say this but I actually envy Dawn's predicament," she thought bitterly.

Because as rare as the antidote to the love potion may be for Dawn, it existed somewhere. Dawn would find the person she could truly love someday. There was still hope for her. There would be a cure for Dawn's pain.

 _But not for mine_ , Marianne concluded sadly.


End file.
